Rotary drum and self-adjusting means therefor



J. T. RISSE 2,865,690

ROTARY DRUM AND SELF-ADJUSTING MEANS THEREFOR Dec. 23, 1958 Filed Jan. 5, 1956 INVENTOR.

BY 6w, wwml iinited States Patent ROTARY DRUM AND SELF-ADJUSTING MEANS THEREFOR John T. Risse, Davenport, Iowa, assignor to Iowa Manufacturing Company of Cedar Rapids, lowa, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application January 5, 1956, Serial No. 557,557

1 Claim. (Cl. 308-203) This invention relates to rotary drums and analogous structures, and has to do with means for automatically maintaining a rotary drum in predetermined or normal lengthwise position.

Rotary drums are used in industrial operations for drying, calcining, and many other purposes. Such drums commonly are inclined slightly lengthwise and are supported for rotation by tires secured to the drum exteriorly thereof and resting on trunnion rollers at opposite sides of the lower portion of the drum. The drum has associated therewith certain other parts, such as a combustion chamber and feed means and should be maintained in a predetermined or normal lengthwise position. Lengthwise movement of the drum from its normal lengthwise position often occurs due to its inclination and, to less.

extent, fiexure of the trunnion roller mountings or other causes. It is known to provide flanged trunnion rollers, or thrust rollers, for forcibly restraining the drum against lengthwise movement but such means is objectionable in that it frequently causes objectionable wear of parts and resistance to rotation of the drum, particularly in the event of misalignment of the parts.

My invention is directed to means responsive to length wise movement of the drum in either direction from its normal position and effective for moving the drum in the opposite direction and thereby returning it to its normal lengthwise position, whereby the drum is maintained in its desired normal lengthwise position or substantially so at all times during rotation thereof. In the broader concept of my invention, any suitable means may be provided for the purpose stated. In the particular'embodiment of my invention illustrated and described herein by way of example, the drum is rotatably supported by exterior tires secured thereto and travelling on trunnion rollers having tire contacting surfaces which are unfianged and are fiat axially of the rollers, the latter being mounted for rotation about axes substantially parallel with the drum axis and, in the normal lengthwise position of the drum, contacting the tires along lines extending transversely thereof and substantially perpendicular thereto.

One or more of the rollers has associated therewith means whereby its angular relation to the tire may be varied, responsive to endwise movement of the drum in either direction from its normal position, so as to cause lengthwise movement of the drum in the opposite direction and thereby return it to normal position. Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the detail description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of a drum and self-adjusting means therefor embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the drum and self-adjusting means therefor of Figure 1, the drum being shown fragmentarily and broken away in major portion;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the adjusting means, the drum being indicated in dot and dash lines for clearness of illustration and the parts being shown in the positions 2,865,690 Patented Dec. 23, 1958 2 which they occupy in the normal position of the drum; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but with the parts in the positions which they occupy when the drum has shifted from normal position toward the right.

I have shown my invention as applied to a drum 5 of appropriate length and diameter, which may be constructed of boiler plate in a known manner. Tires 6, one only of which is shown, formed of steel and of appropriate width and thickness, are disposed about drum 5 exteriorly thereof and concentric therewith and are suitably spaced lengthwise of the drum. The respective tires 6 are mounted on the drum by saddles 7 secured in a suitable known manner, conveniently by welding, to the exterior surface of drum 5 and the interior surface of tire 6. Each of the tires rides on trunnion rollers 8 disposed at opposite sides of the lower portion of drum 5. The trunnion rollers 8 are rotatably mounted in brackets 9 of substantially U-shape each comprising a base plate 10 and spaced arms 11 extending from base plate 10 toward drum 5 and carrying suitable bearings receiving shaft 12 of roller 8 and supporting the latter for rotation about an axis extending lengthwise of drum 5 approximately parallel with the axis thereof when drum 5 is in its normal lengthwise position. A pin or stud 13 allel with the axis thereof, When drum 5 is'in its normal.

lengthwise position, and is turnable about an axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the roller. The respective roller mounting brackets 9 are shown, by way of example, as being mounted for turning movement about a vertical axis, but that is not essential to my invention and the disposition of the axis about which the bracket turns may be varied as desired, or as conditions may require, so long as such axis is so disposed as to permit of turning of the associated roller in a manner to elfect the desired lengthwise adjustment of the drum 5, as will be described presently.

The drum 5 is assumed to be inclined to the horizontal, indicated by the dot and dash line xy in Figure 2, downward toward the right. In Figure 3 of the drawings it is assumed that the drum 5 is in its normal or correct lengthwise position, the respective trunnion rollers 8 being then disposed with the axis c-c of each roller extending lengthwise of drum 5 in approximate parallelism with the axis thereof. Each roller 8 then contacts the associated tire 6 along a line extending transversely thereof and perpendicular thereto. By properly adjusting the angle of rollers 8 relative to tire 6 respon-: either direc- V drum 5 and along tire 6 with their inner ends disposed at opposite sides of the tire. Each of the arms 15 carries an abutment member 16, preferably a roller, extending therefrom toward the drum 5, the abutment rollers 16 being disposed at opposite sides of and in proximity to the tire 6 with but slight clearance therebetween, sufli cient to prevent binding in the lengthwise movements of the drum 5. The bracket 9 to which lever arm '14 is secured is further provided, at opposite sides thereof with.

outwardly extending arms 9a fixed thereto and disposed lengthwise of drum 5. The other bracket 9 is also provided at opposite sides thereof with outwardly extending arms 9a fixed thereto and .disposed lengthwise of drum 5. The outer ends of the arms 9a at opposite sides of brackets 9 are connected by links 9b pivoted thereto at 9c.

Assuming the drum 5 to be rotated counter-clockwise as viewed in Figure l, as indicated by the arrow, and to be in vits normal lengthwise position with the trunnion rollers 18 disposed as shown in Figure 3, if the drum moves toward the right, as viewed in Figure 2, the right hand side of tire 6 will contact the adjacent abutment roller .16 thereby swinging arm '14 with corresponding turning movement of :both brackets 9 about the axes of studs 13. When that occurs each of the trunnion rollers 8 will be turned into such position that its axis of rotation extends along line 1a'-a, for "example, as indicated in Figure 4. The rollers 8 will then be similarly inclined across the face of .tire 6 in the positions shown in Figure 4. Due to such inclination of the trunnion rollers 8 relative to the tire 6, in the continued rotation of drum 5 the reaction of tire 6 with the inclined rollers 8 exerts a screw eifect which causes the drum to be shifted lengthwise toward the left so as to be returned to its normal lengthwise position. During such shifting to the left of the drum the arm 14 will be turned, by contact of the left side of tire 6 with the corresponding abutment roller 16, thereby returning the respective trunnion rollers 8 to their normal position shown in Figure 3, when the drum 5 resumes its normal lengthwise position. If the drum 5 moves from its normal lengthwise position toward the left, as viewed in Figure 3, the trunnion roller brackets 9 will be turned to such positions that the trunnion rollers 8 are disposed at an inclination across the tire 6 opposite to that shown in Figure 4. With the trunnion rollers 8 so disposed, continued rotation of the drum 5 causes shifting thereof to the right until it is returned to its normal position, at which time the trunnion rollers 8 also assume their normal position. The lever arms 14 thus provide, in conjunction with the tire 6 and the turnable trunnion roller brackets 9 and associated parts, means for automatically maintaining the drum 5 in its desired normal lengthwise position.

While I have shown two trunnion rollers 8 at opposite sides of the tire 6 and means for turning each thereof about the axis of the stud 13, as above described, it is not essential to my invention that both of the trunnion rollers be so mounted and operated. The number of trunnion rollers so disposed and mounted may be varied to suit requirements. In some cases a single trunnion roller mounted and operated in the manner above described may sufiice, though usually I prefer to have not less than one pair of trunnion rollers at opposite sides of a tire, with both of the rollers operated in the manner described, as tending to give quicker compensation for any lengthwise shifting of drum 5 and a more uniform distribution of such stresses as may be involved. The

trunnion rollers which are not mounted for turning movement may be supportedin any suitable known manner.

In practice the drum 5 may be provided with interior flights, or with a refractory lining, depending upon its intended use. The interior construction of the drum does not constitute an essential feature of my invention and has been omitted in the interests of clarity of illustration. It may be of any suitable interior construction.

I have disclosed, by way of example, one way in which the trunnion rollers may be automatically adjusted responsive to endwise shifting of drum 5 in either direction from its normal position and in a manner to compensate for such shifting by moving the drum in the opposite direction and thereby returning it to normal position. In its broader concept, however, my invention comprehends any suitable means for efiecting that result, as above indicated.

It will be understood that changes in details may be resorted to without departing from the field and scope of my invention, and I intend to include all such variations, as fall within the scope of the appended claims, in this application in which the preferred form only of my invention has been disclosed.

I claim:

In rotary drum adjusting means, a drum having a normal lengthwise position, two bearing brackets below said drum at opposite sides thereof, trunnion rollers mounted in said brackets for rotation about axes normally approximately parallel with the axis of said drum, said brackets being respectively mounted to turn about an axis substantially perpendicular to and in the plane of the axis of its associated roller, an exterior tire secured to said drurn substantially concentric therewith and resting on said rollers and in cooperation therewith rotatably supporting said drum, a lever arm secured to one of said brackets extending therefrom inwardly beneath said drum and along said tire, said arm being provided with abutment members disposed at opposite sides of said tire in proximity thereto to be contacted thereby in the lengthwise movement of said drum in either direction from its said normal position for turning said one bracket about its axis, each of said brackets having arms extending from opposite sides thereof lengthwise of said drum, and links substantially parallel with said tireextending between and pivoted to said arms of said brackets at opposite sides thereof, said links providing with said bracket arms and brackets a parallelogram assuring turning of the other bracket with said one bracket in the same direction and to the same extent as the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 974,964 Helbig Nov. 8, 1 910 1,916,047 Groseclose June 27, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 308,345 Germany Oct. 11, 1918 

